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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: date · roll · bound · root · stand · capital · mug · mine

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. capital — money
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. mug — to rob
  6. capital — a city
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. root — the cause
  9. mine — for digging
  10. bound — obliged
  11. mug — a face
  12. root — of a word
  13. stand — to bear
  14. bound — tied together
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. roll — a cake
  18. bound — certain
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. roll — a list
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. root — of a plant
  23. mug — a cup
  24. stand — on your feet

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com